Pine Belt resident travels to Ferguson to protest

HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -

The shooting of an 18 year old boy
in Ferguson, Missouri has made international news, raising questions of race
relations as well as police accountability. Several local individuals
have made their voices be known, by use of social media, as well as even taking
it upon themselves to travel to Ferguson.

Instead of raising the issue of right or wrong, Hattiesburg
resident Rashad Smith says the residents of Missouri really needs love. "You
have some people that are being very supportive, but there are people coming
from other areas that are actually providing destruction to the community and
basically destroying it… it reminds me of Marvin Gaye when he said love
conquers hate…that's the main thing they need right now," said Smith

A few Mississippi residents even took it a step further and
traveled to Ferguson to experience the protests and show peaceful support for
justice. Attorney CJ Lawrence, key starter of the hashtag
"#iftheygunnedmedown," the hashtag that trended globally, says social media
plays a vital role in sharing experiences that mainstream media may have
missed.

"Most of the protestors actually played a dual role in
addition to actually being protestors at the time. They were standing in
doorways to make sure people were not looting businesses; they were protecting
people's businesses. I thought that was important to highlight. Some of the
outlets reported it, some of the outlets focused on the looting,"said Lawrence.